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MONTREAL -- What a bizarre series this Senators-Habs best-of-seven has fast become, eh?

The blood. The name-calling. The lost teeth. The own assist by the Norris Trophy holder. The fourth-line Binghamton centre suddenly on Ottawa's first line. What next?

The Senators looked primed to take a commanding 2-0 series lead home from Montreal Friday morning when it was announced the Habs had lost three of their best forwards -- Max Pacioretty, Brian Gionta and Lars Eller, the team's co-leading scorer in April -- to injury on Thursday. But by the way they started Game 2, it looked like they didn't want the wheel.

Still, the score was 0-0 until Erik Karlsson challenged Chris Phillips for the most embarrassing defensive play in franchise history (remember The Big Rig's own goal in Game 5 of the 2007 final) by inexplicably floating a backhand pass that Ryan White knocked down and directed between Craig Anderson's legs in the second period. When the Habs' Brendan Gallagher followed up with another 53 seconds later, the series momentum looked to be back in Montreal's possession.

And then Milan Michalek scores one while Carey Price is busy bashing Jean-Gabriel Pageau, and the game apppears up for grabs. Except then, the previously embattled Price finds his inner Anderson during an Ottawa power play, stopping great chances by Daniel Alfredsson and Sergei Gonchar, before Michael Ryder restores the Habs two-goal lead.

That's about when you realized there's really only one thing you can expect from this best-of-seven. And that's the unexpected.

STARTS AND STOPS

Senators centre Peter Regin sent a text to Lars Eller, his friend and fellow Dane, late Thursday night to see if he was OK. "Even though it's in the playoffs and you want to win the prize, it's always tough to see anybody go down like that," Regin said the next morning. "I wish him the best." As does everyone ... Price wasn't tested until the 7 1/2-minute mark and, although it was registered as a shot on goal, Gonchar's wrister during the power play was actually going wide. To say Ottawa started slow is an understatement ... The best Senators chance of the first half of the opening period was actually a minute before the phantom shot on goal by Gonchar. Rene Bourque almost tucked the puck between Price's skate and the post while trying to get his goalie to freeze it ... Anderson's best save of the first was off Jeff Halpern's attempt with a rebound from his own shot -- While Montreal was shorthanded. Yes, the Senator power play was at its painful-to-watch worst in the first ... Anderson earned some more admiration from teammates for playing on after a shot knocked out his tooth in Game 1. One guy in particular, Marc Methot, knows what it's like to take a puck in the mouth. "It's tough. It's a huge shock when you get hit around the mouth. It's such a sensitive area. Luckily, I believe that tooth that he lost was fake, so that kind of helps. Don't quote me on that ... but I think it's a little too late." ... Not to be outdone by his opposite number, Price appeared to be kicked in the head by Player 42 (Jarred Tinordi) when the Habs defenceman and Guillaume Latendresse barged into him during the second period. After picking himself up and dusting himself off, Price skated directly to the Montreal bench and appeared to hand the trainer a tooth.

BETWEEN PERIODS

Erik Condra wore proof of how hard P.K. Subban shoots the puck Thursday night. Not a bruise, but a broken boot. "One of Subban's shots just blew up my skate," said Condra, who led all players in Game 1 with five blocked shots -- most of which were during Montreal power plays. "All the rivets came out of it and everything. I mostly took (them) off the shotblockers and the skates, which is nice. That doesn't always happen." ... Chris Neil made a valid point when he told reporters Friday morning that the hit he took from Subban in Game 1 was worse (dirtier) than the Eric Gryba hit on Eller. Watch the replay again. Subban left his feet and made direct, initial contact with Neil's head. If Neil had landed on his face, maybe Brendan Shanahan would have noticed ... One Ottawa player chuckled and shook his head when thinking about the fate that awaits Subban for that one. "It might not be today or tomorrow or even this series," he said.

THINGS I THINK I THUNK

Oh, wait, that must be Subban's trademark or something. He left his feet to hit Andre Benoit in the first period Friday, too ... Take it from a guy who just happened to see Paul MacLean finishing his morning workout on a heavy bag, neither Brandon Prust or Mike (which he wanted to be called when coaching Pittsburgh) Therrien want to piss off the Senators coach ... If MacLean is a "walrus," could he not shoot back at Prust by calling him a racoon, with that black eye of his.

BUTT ENDS

Pageau started the game back on the Bottom 6, but MacLean returned him to the Top 6 when Kyle Turris wasn't generating anything. One thing we've learned about the seemingly timid rookie (other than that he is going to have an NHL career) is that maybe he's not so timid after all. When bigger Montreal freshman Alex Galchenyuk tried to intimidate him in Game 1, Pageau didn't budge. "Series are really intense, not only between the whistles," Pageau said Friday morning. "I don't really want to get in his game, but if he's going to chirp me I'll chirp back."

What an odd series the Sens-Habs best-of-seven has become

MONTREAL -- What a bizarre series this Senators-Habs best-of-seven has fast become, eh?

The blood. The name-calling. The lost teeth. The own assist by the Norris Trophy holder. The fourth-line Binghamton centre suddenly on Ottawa's first line. What next?

The Senators looked primed to take a commanding 2-0 series lead home from Montreal Friday morning when it was announced the Habs had lost three of their best forwards -- Max Pacioretty, Brian Gionta and Lars Eller, the team's co-leading scorer in April -- to injury on Thursday. But by the way they started Game 2, it looked like they didn't want the wheel.